Unleashing the Power of EventStorming to Smooth the Path to Composable Commerce
How EventStorming enhances collaboration, uncovers gaps, and aligns teams to drive effective business transformation.
In business there are two universal truths: businesses must continuously adapt to stay competitive, and it can be extremely challenging to do so. Nowhere are those truths more evident than in the rapidly changing commerce space, as technological changes and consumer demand put constant pressure on brands to evolve. So how do successful B2C and B2B companies navigate this challenging path?
There is no simple answer; the toolkit must be varied. EventStorming is one such tool, one that Orium consistently uses with our clients. While not a silver bullet, it is an important part of the planning phase.
EventStorming is a workshop-based approach that delivers a comprehensive understanding of business processes and technical dependencies, aiming to redefine software. This method is crucial for breaking down existing technology solutions and identifying areas for improvement. By bridging the gap between business requirements and technical solutions, EventStorming fosters a more cohesive and informed approach to system design and development. Rooted in domain-driven design (DDD), EventStorming is essential for transitioning to composable commerce.
Understanding EventStorming
EventStorming is a collaborative workshop technique designed to explore complex business processes by identifying and mapping domain events. In this context, the domain refers to the subject area for which the software is being developed, encompassing business processes, rules, and logic. Participants from various areas of the business come together to visually map out significant events within the domain.
A facilitator guides the process, ensures participation from everyone, and keeps the workshop on track. Domain experts provide deep knowledge of business processes, rules, and requirements, including developers who offer extensive technical domain expertise. Product owners or managers represent the product vision and business needs, while additional stakeholders may join as needed to ensure all perspectives are considered.
For in-person sessions, large rolls of paper or whiteboards, sticky notes, markers, and other visualization tools are employed. For virtual sessions, cloud-based tools like Miro substitute nicely. To start, participants need to define the scope and objectives of the session. This ensures a clear focus, specifying the beginning and end of the domain to be covered. Decide where to cover the “happy path” and where to address unhappy paths and edge cases.
Participants write down domain events (significant occurrences) on sticky notes. Initially, events are placed on a timeline in no particular order, encouraging free-form brainstorming. Events are then arranged chronologically. Additional elements like commands, actors, and policies are introduced to add depth to the model. Areas of uncertainty, conflict, or complexity are highlighted with comments and “hot spots,” indicating where further discussion or exploration is needed.
The goal is to create a comprehensive visual model that captures business processes and technical dependencies. This model helps identify gaps, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement, helping to align business goals with technical implementation.
Time Investment
EventStorming can be conducted at different levels of detail, each serving specific purposes and involving varying durations and participants. Big Picture EventStorming typically lasts a full day or two and focuses on understanding the entire business domain or a significant part of it. This level of EventStorming is suitable at the beginning of a project to provide a broad overview of business processes and identify major areas of interest, potential bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement. It involves a wide range of stakeholders, including business executives, domain experts, and technical leads, to ensure comprehensive insights into the organization’s operations.
Process-Level EventStorming narrows the focus to a specific business process or workflow within the domain and usually takes a few hours to a full day. This approach is ideal when there is a need to gain a detailed understanding of a particular process, refine it, and identify areas for optimization. It involves process owners, key domain experts, and relevant technical staff, providing a detailed map of the targeted process and specific steps, interactions, and potential improvements.
Design-Level EventStorming is the most detailed and can span several days. It delves into the technical and implementation aspects of the domain, making it appropriate during the design phase of a project when the focus shifts to actual software development. This level involves technical experts, developers, architects, and domain experts for validation. The outcome is a highly detailed model that guides the software development process, ensuring that the system design is closely aligned with business needs. This approach helps define the structure of the code, the data flow, and the technical dependencies, providing a clear roadmap for implementation.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
EventStorming can be an incredibly effective tool for planning and mapping change, but like any tool, it must be deployed correctly to be effective. With the right forethought and planning, brands can avoid the potential trouble spots and make the most of the sessions. Some areas to watch out for include:
- Lack of Engagement: Participants may not engage fully, leading to incomplete or biased models. Ensure a skilled facilitator is present to encourage participation from all attendees.
- Unclear Scope: An ill-defined scope can lead to confusion and inefficiency. Clearly define the scope and objectives before the workshop, and revisit when necessary throughout.
- Individual Overrepresentation: Some participants may dominate the conversation. The facilitator should actively manage discussions, giving everyone a chance to contribute.
- Underrepresentation of Domain Experts: Without the right domain experts, the model may miss critical business insights. Ensure that key domain experts are identified and invited to the workshop. Their presence is crucial for an accurate and comprehensive model.
- Complexity and Volume of Information: The sheer volume of events and information can be overwhelming and hard to manage. Break down the workshop into manageable sessions. Focus on one section of the domain at a time and gradually build the complete model.
- Insufficient Time: Time constraints can lead to rushed sessions, resulting in an incomplete model. Allocate adequate time for the workshop, including breaks. If needed, schedule multiple sessions to cover the domain thoroughly.
- Follow-up and Implementation: Insights from the workshop may not be effectively implemented if there’s no follow-up. Document the outcomes of the workshop clearly and assign responsibilities for follow-up actions. Ensure there is a plan for integrating the insights into the development process.
Leveraging EventStorming to Improve Digital Transformation
EventStorming is an invaluable tool for digital teams seeking to gain a deeper understanding of their business processes and technology solutions. By identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks within current systems, it provides a clear path for improvement. Through visualizing processes and user interactions, teams can better comprehend how different components of the technology stack interact. This approach ensures that technology solutions are closely aligned with business objectives, offering insights needed to modularize and enhance parts of the technology stack.
By fostering collaboration and uncovering critical insights, EventStorming paves the way for a successful transition to composable commerce. As businesses continue to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, methodologies like EventStorming remain essential for driving change and achieving strategic goals.
Shaunna Bruton
Director, Product Strategy, Orium
Driven by strategy, process development, and the simple desire to build great things, she works closely with commerce leaders, technical teams, and business stakeholders to bring new opportunities to life.